We Could Be Heroes
by Lady Phaedra
Summary: Alfred was the All-American-Golden-Boy of Hetalia Gakuen High School, Kiku was the aloof top student of Hetalia Gakuen High School. The two boys couldn't have been more different, but one thing they had in common was the secret feelings they held for one another and their love of comic books and video games. America & Japan/with side pairings; High School AU


**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **A cute short little one-shot revolving around the love lives of America & Japan. The main ship is America & Japan, but involves side ships. High School AU

**DISCLAIMER:** Hetalia doesn't belong to me.  
>Don't bother suing, I'm dirt-poor.<p>

* * *

><p>Kiku Honda was a quiet and sensible young man who focused hard on his academics and took careful care to keep out of trouble all throughout high school. He didn't have many friends that he would consider very close – although if he had to pick, he supposed both Feliciano and Ludwig might have a good chance for that position.<p>

However in their trio, he had often felt like a third wheel despite it all, and the feeling only intensifying after his two friends had admitted their feelings for one another and started dating.

Kiku was happy for them. He really was.

He was used to being lonely.

He had other friends of course, although he wasn't as close to them; there was Arthur Kirkland– a hot-tempered and lonely British student - and Heracles Karpusi – a laid-back and placid Greek man. Of course there was also Gilbert Beilschmidt to consider – despite being considered one of the "popular" in comparison to Kiku's apparent "nerd" status – they got along pretty well. But then there was also Alfred to consider…

Kiku had known Alfred since they were young children. Although the two were as different as day and night, they used to be nearly inseparable. Time had changed that, of course.

The two boys used to play video games almost every day at Alfred's house after school. But once they hit junior high, like Gilbert, Alfred had joined the socially elite and the two no longer belonged to the same circles.

It had always bothered Kiku, however he hadn't tried to fix it when he had the chance. Instead, he chose to obediently follow his parent's instructions and focused solely on his academics. His parents had deemed Alfred a bad influence and had encouraged their distance.

However, lately Kiku had been thinking more and more about Alfred. Although their relationship had always been platonic, as of late, Kiku had already realized that the feelings he harbored for the all-American-golden-boy of their high school were romantic.

Kiku mostly tried to ignore his feelings. It wasn't that Kiku didn't accept his homosexual feelings or that he feared being judged for his preferences - what he was, was uncertain.

The Japanese boy didn't know if Alfred was even homosexual, or even bisexual at all. Even if Alfred was attracted to those of his own gender, there was no guarantee that he would feel any attraction to Kiku.

Not many people thought of Kiku as an insecure person, what with his cool indifference and sharp intelligence. But the truth of the matter was that he was still a growing teenager and he struggled with insecurity and other emotional issues just as everyone else.

Alfred was your typical cool guy, the one that every other boy in the school envied and strived to be like. Everyone knew that after high school, he would be receiving some scholarship to play football in college.

Alfred wasn't a brainiac, quite the opposite, actually, however his grades weren't bad either. Alfred was a bit oblivious and arrogant at times but still managed to be almost completely charming to everyone he came across.

Alfred was completely human – with his own set of flaws, however Kiku found that he was unable to think of any other word but 'perfect' to describe Alfred despite his human imperfections, which ironically only made him more perfect and _real._

Honestly Kiku wasn't sure what it was that drew him to Alfred. They were so different and although he didn't particularly like the common saying, 'opposites attract', he couldn't deny that it did apply to him in this case.

In reality, at the moment, Kiku was nearing the US History classroom. Trying to clear his thoughts of Alfred, he tried to revert into his usual brisk and business-like mode. However, this was one of the few classes he shared with Alfred. Kiku's heart was beating rapidly, as he carefully tried to avoid glancing in Alfred's direction. Instead his sharp brown eyes settled for looking at everyone else but Alfred.

While the teacher – an old, balding man – took attendance on a computer, everyone else was taking the advantage of that time by talking. And Kiku was taking the time to observe everyone else. Except for Alfred, of course.

In the front of the classroom, Yao and his brother, Leon was sitting side-by-side. Honda never sat with them, although Yao had expressed a strong desire for him to join them – Honda didn't like either of the two brothers very much, his dislike stemming from elementary school.

After many rejections however, Yao no longer greeted Kiku with the usual hopeful offer. And Kiku went on his way, ignoring them per usual.

Sitting alone in front of Honda was Vash, a cold loner who was rumored to beat up anyone who even _looked_ at his younger sister – Kiku never bothered to speak to him.

To the far left, was Ivan, a strange and intimidating Russian boy and his even more intimidating younger sister, Natalya. The beautiful but ice-cold girl was rumored to have skip grades just to be with her older brother. Kiku steered clear of both them for certain.

In one corner, was Gilbert; he was teasing his cousin, Roderich. The pale albino boy was taking Roderich's paper and waving it in his face. Gilbert's own girlfriend, Elizabeta was trying to defend Roderich however and she ended up smacking Gilbert in the face – which even Kiku had to smile at.

_Alfred _was sitting in a desk near Gilbert. Kiku noted with some concern that the boy seemed anxious as he hurriedly tried to finish the homework he must have forgotten to do the night before. Luckily US history was a subject Alfred could do with ease and Kiku actually exhaled in relief out loud at the realization.

His temptation had gotten the best of him however and Kiku quickly remembered that he wasn't supposed to be paying Alfred attention. He was still convinced his feelings for Alfred was just an infatuation and that if he didn't have so much daily interaction with – or even seeing him – that Kiku would get over his feelings much faster.

Kiku didn't have many friends in this class; he found most of the students in his school were strange and off-putting, however he wasn't completely lonely. His point was proven when a sweet-faced Taiwanese girl gracefully slid into the desk to his right.

"Hello, Kiku!" she chirped, cheeks flushed pink as she smiled brightly at him. Xiao Mei was a cheerful girl and light-hearted like Alfred was, but she was also hardworking and strong-willed which was what Kiku liked best about her and earned his respect.

"How are you? I hope Wang has stopped bothering you." She had always been especially protective of Kiku, and that coupled with her distaste for Wang, she was especially fierce, to the point of overprotectiveness even.

"Hello, Xiao Mei," he greeted her slightly more formally. "And no, he has gotten the hint…"

"That's good! Anyways, the school's dance is coming up soon! I went dress shopping with some of my girlfriends this weekend. I've already got the dress, now I just need someone to bring me, heh…" She continued to chat with him and he listened to her chatter idly, his thoughts predictably returning to Alfred.

Increasingly, Kiku was finding it difficult to not think of him, to counter this, he tried to focus more on his studies, or convince himself that Alfred wasn't really that great or even tried to turn his interest on someone else to no avail.

Alfred simply wasn't going to go away any time soon.

Xiao Mei and Feliciano would certainly scold him for being so resigned without evidence proving or even disproving his acceptance of what he thought was a fact, but he was absolutely certain that Alfred didn't share his romantic feelings. He didn't think he was being too harsh on himself for believing that, he liked to think of his behavior as those of a realist.

"Alright class, open your textbooks to chapter five." The history teacher had finished taking attendance and had moved to the front of the classroom as the talking ceased.

Feeling numb, Kiku robotically opened his textbook and began flipping through the pages.

So while his feelings for Alfred continued to grow from afar and he struggled along, he tried his best to bury the feelings and continue to focus on other matters; matters that he tried to convince himself were far more important.

...

Alfred had woken up with a start that morning. Groggily putting on his glasses, he pulled himself out of bed and into the bathroom for his morning routine. He liked to look good – all heroes should.

Some people would laugh at him for this, especially with his perceived social status, but Alfred was a big fan of comic books, especially the comic books about the super heroes. As a child, his father had been all too eager to encourage his interest and even to this day, he bonded with his father over them.

His quirky interest in the comic books had only increased after his parent's messy divorce.

It was a shame Matthew shared no such interest.

Alfred had mixed feelings about Matthew. His brother was a more quiet and reserved boy. He was kind too, but Alfred found him terribly boring. However because the two were still brothers, Alfred did love him.

Matthew's own feelings for Alfred were even more mixed than Alfred could have ever realized. Alfred had always assumed his twin loved him just as much as well… everyone else did – because everyone loved the hero right?

After their parent's divorce, Matthew had moved across town into a smaller house, while Alfred stayed in the large, empty house with his dad. Their house was close enough to school that he walked everyday. He lived too close to the school for a bus and although he had a car, he usually walked to school with Gilbert and his little brother, Ludwig.

After eating his breakfast of sugary-diabetes-inducing cereals, Alfred had left his house and was waiting by the front yard for the two German brothers to arrive. As he was waiting, the blonde noticed a silver car driving down his street. As it got closer, he recognized the car.

Inside the car, there was a cold and serious-faced Japanese woman at the driver seat. But more importantly, it was Kiku Honda that was sitting in the seat next to her.

Alfred's blue eyes briefly met Kiku's own brown eyes as the car drove past. He lifted his hand to wave but the car had already reached the end of the street and turned before Kiku could have possibly seen his wave.

Shoulders slumping slightly, Alfred's lips pressed tightly together. Feeling impatient and less cheerful, he waited for Gilbert and Ludwig to show up. Kiku and he used to play together after school all the time. They would play video games, they would read comic books together, and play with action figures – all of which Alfred still did from time to time, although he definitely kept his old childhood activities under wraps.

The two friends had really lost touch in between the years of junior high. Alfred had joined the football team and Kiku had begun devoting more time towards his studies. Kiku was so much more intelligent than Alfred that the accelerated subjects he had taken had begun intimidating Alfred so much that he put off spending time with Kiku if he thought there would even be a little bit of studying. Alfred just didn't want to look stupid around him.

And by the time either of them had realized they were drifting apart, they had joined different social groups. Adults could never quite understand but as a young teenager, you couldn't just jump from cliques to cliques. It was a strange notion but it was something Alfred had always went along with, no questions asked.

These days Kiku usually hung out with Ludwig and Feliciano. Ludwig might have been his best friend's younger brother but Alfred wasn't sure if Ludwig actually liked him. And the guy was so serious that it was hard not to tease him occasionally, which was something Alfred had learned, he only tolerated from Gilbert or Feliciano.

Feliciano was okay though. He was cheerful, cute and funny but he was too wimpy to ever join any sports team.

Meanwhile Kiku would have definitely felt out of place in Alfred's crew. Most of Alfred's friends were the guys on his football team or any other sports team. They were all pretty wild, loud, and major party animals.

So Alfred never really attempted to reconnect with Kiku, although he did try to make a special effort to talk to Kiku each and every day.

Although Alfred would only ever admit out loud that his reasons for wanting to reconnect were purely because he missed hanging out with his old friend, deep down, it was because his feelings for Kiku had moved from platonic to romantic admiration.

Kiku Honda was a cool guy. He was majorly smart, was or used to be into comic books and gaming like Alfred was. He had a cool elegance to him and Alfred admired his Japanese culture – especially their food.

However he was too intimating for Alfred to seriously approach. He was rumored to be one of the students with the highest GPAs and test scores in the school. Everyone thought that he would attend Harvard or Yale, or one of those big universities. There were rumors that he had already earned a full scholarship to a university of his choice.

He was colder now too. Kiku had always been a quiet guy, but he had used to be gentle and kind too. Now he looked so serious and judgmental, he was impossible to read and with his reputation, that only made him so much more intimidating.

"Yo, Alfred!"

Gilbert's familiar voice jolted him out of his ponderings and Alfred immediately snapped back to attention. "What took you so long?" he hollered back. "I was going to leave without you, dude."

Falling into step with the two German brothers, the trio fell into a comfortable silence. Once again left to his thoughts, Alfred couldn't help but think back to the moment when Kiku's car had passed by his house. Their eyes had met for a moment and Alfred wished he had seen something in them, but they had been as impassive and cold as always.

They had arrived at the high school fifteen minutes later and headed to their lockers. Gilbert and Alfred shared U.S. history first period and the two boys had walked around the other parts of school before the bell rang and then they arrived at the classroom together.

The teacher was currently busy at his desk and class hadn't officially started yet so Alfred had pulled out his paper to add the finishing touches. Admittedly he wasn't very good at prioritizing.

Alfred was an impressive athlete, and like most athletes he had good eyesight, so he had quickly noticed when someone was staring at him. Alfred looked up but by then they had already pulled their gaze away but he was certain that he knew whom it was.

Kiku.

Blue eyes squinting, he was determined to believe it hadn't been hopeful wishing but true. But Kiku's attention was already elsewhere. His friend, Xiao Mei had arrived and had sat down a little too close to Kiku.

Now, Alfred liked to think that he wasn't a very jealous person but he thought it was transparently apparent that the Taiwanese girl had a crush on Kiku. Alfred was unsure whether not Kiku returned her feelings but he knew that the two were friends. Xia Mei also happened to be a really cute and pretty girl so he was becoming a bit concerned.

Although Alfred was not the kind of person to plot, he needed a way to start talking to Kiku on a daily basis. As the teacher began talking and Alfred smoothed out his paper, he let his mind wander.

…

Four classes after U.S. History and lunch, Kiku was getting ready for his next class: physics. Physics wasn't a particularly hard topic for him, however it wasn't his favorite subject either.

His only consolation was that he had physics with both Arthur and… Alfred.

As Kiku walked into the classroom, he sat down in his usual seat, next to Arthur. He said a quiet hello to Arthur who didn't seem to notice anyways as the blonde boy was busying arguing with Marie. The two acted like cats and dogs but despite their clashes, the two could be often found in the other's company.

The class quieted down as the physics teacher began explaining the lab they were doing that day. Once the instructions were given, Kiku turned to Arthur, his usual lab partner however he was faced with an apologetic grimace.

"Sorry old chap," Arthur looked uncomfortable. "Victoria is gone and Marie really wanted me to be her lab partner." The blonde was unable to meet Kiku's eyes. His sudden change in demeanor when it came to Marie was not unusual. "You'll be alright won't you?"

Kiku's expression remained neutral. "That's fine. Have fun." Feeling a bit lost as he watched his usual lab partner walk away, Kiku decided to just do the lab on his own. Steeling himself, he stood up but he was suddenly approached.

"You don't have a partner, do you?" Alfred F. Jones was grinning brightly at him. "Antonio left school early, so I don't have a partner either."

Kiku was taken aback by Alfred's sudden propose and stared at him blankly for a few moments. As Alfred's smile began to twitch, Kiku suddenly regained control of himself. "A- ah, of course, Alfred."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he tried to regain his composure as they started working on the lab. Kiku was unable to meet Alfred's eyes as they worked together in awkward silence. He longed to say something but he was feeling painfully shy and for once Alfred wasn't feeling very chatty either.

…

Alfred handed Kiku one of the vials. They were almost done with the lab and then they would both be off on their separate ways. Alfred didn't want it to end like that.

"Kiku?" he spoke up, his voice almost hesitant.

"Yes, Alfred?" Kiku blinked at him curiously.

"Would you mind tutoring me after school? I have trouble with physics so I could really use some help," Alfred said earnestly. It was difficult for him to admit something like that to Kiku, their intelligence difference was a thought he didn't like to dwell on, but it would be worth it.

Kiku blinked three times, looking surprised. Was he annoyed that Alfred had asked? It was so difficult to read Kiku. "Sure. Of course, Alfred, it'd be my pleasure. When should we meet?"

_Score! _Alfred cheered mentally to himself. "How about today after school? The football's season on break so I'm free after school."

"That works for me," agreed Kiku quietly. "I'll show up by your house at 4:30, I tutor after school." He gave Alfred a rare smile as he walked away, clutching his binder.

Feeling triumphant, Alfred followed suit just as the bell rang, dismissing them for the day. A new swagger in his step, he walked down the hallway and ended up waiting by Gilbert's locker. He wasn't sure if he should tell Gilbert about his plans however.

"Hey Alfred!" Holding hands with Elizabeta, Gilbert opened his locker with the other.

"Hello Alfred," Elizabeta greeted Alfred with a smile. Alfred wasn't a really close with her but she was one of Gilbert's best friends and his girlfriend so Alfred liked her.

"Hey guys," waved Alfred, hanging impatiently around the two.

"Did you want to hang out after school or something, dude?" Gilbert asked him as the trio began walking out of the school. "Because, like, that would be awesome but I was going to hang with my lady." He smirked as Elizabeta rolled her eyes.

"No, because actually, Kiku's coming over my house after school." Alfred still wasn't sure it was a good idea to tell Gilbert or Elizabeta about this but he was too excited to not mention it.

"Really?" Elizabeta had spoken up; eyebrow arched but there was a keen interest in her sharp green eyes. "I didn't know you were friends. Why's he coming over?"

"He's just tutoring me," answered Alfred, feeling somewhat defensive. "We were lab partners today in physics and I needed some help."

"But _tutoring_?" Elizabeta had begun grinning. "_Cliché_." she had quietly singsonged but still loudly enough to be heard.

"It's not like that," snickered Gilbert. "Or is it?" he waggled his eyebrows at Alfred suggestively.

"Ptff, we're just studying," scoffed Alfred. "Besides I don't think he's even gay…" He was subconsciously hoping they would correct him.

"Hmm, that's a serious shame," sighed Elizabeta. "He's really cute, but I think that girl – Xia Mei? Yes, her, I think they might be dating."

"What's with you and your guy-on-guy-action fetish?" Gilbert teased his girlfriend. "I love you but not that much."

Smirking back, Elizabeta shoved her brother's shoulder as they stopped at Alfred's house. "Whatever. Okay, bye Alfred. Good luck with your 'date'!"

"Text me later!" hollered Gilbert, looking over his shoulder, as Elizabeta led him away.

"Yeah, dude, I will! Later!" Alfred watched them walk away for a few moments before opening his front door and closing it behind him. Eyeing his house critically, Alfred determined that the house looked presentable. Grimacing, he decided to check the warzone in his room.

His room, quite predictably, was another story. There were papers and dirty clothes scattered everywhere and an empty bag of chips left on his desk. Alfred hated to clean, resisted it every chance he got but from what he remembered (and expected from him), Kiku was a neat and orderly guy and he definitely wouldn't be very impressed by the state of Alfred's room.

Glancing at his phone, he saw that there was about fifty minutes left until Kiku was supposed to show up. With another grimace, he dived into the fray.

…

This was the place. Clutching the strap of his black messenger bag, Kiku slowly made his way towards Alfred's front door. The house hadn't changed in the least from what he could see so far. Feeling nostalgic, he knocked on wood.

Until he was knocking on someone's face.

"Ow!" Alfred cried out, falling a step back as his hands flew to his face. "Dude!"  
>Horrified Kiku reached out to try to help him. "Ah! I am so sorry, Alfred. You had opened the door so fast and I didn't…" He trailed off when Alfred suddenly started laughing.<p>

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Alfred was chuckling as he opened the door wider. "Come in, dude! I've got snacks!" He was acting like his old self again, nothing like the awkward and quiet guy during physics.

Relaxing and chuckling a bit to himself, Kiku stepped inside the house. He glanced around the foyer. It was dimly lit but from what he could see, not much had changed inside either, although there was no more toys scattered across the house. "You got me," the raven-haired boy admitted graciously. "You haven't changed a bit, Alfred," he continued as he followed the taller boy up the stairs.

"I hope you're not implying that I act like a ten-year-old, dude," replied Alfred as they entered the kitchen. His back was still facing Kiku. "But you have to admit that was pretty funny."

"No, of course not," Kiku was smiling, a hint of sadness and at the same time – hopefulness – in his smile. "As for the latter – maybe. Shall we get started?" he said, sitting down at a chair. "What are you having trouble with?"

Laid out on the table were several bowls of different junk food and a chemistry textbook that looked very out of place among the junk food.

"Well, this chapter in physic's been a little rough on me. So I guess… just this entire chapter…?" Alfred grinned sheepishly. He wasn't as lost as he made out to be but Kiku didn't know that. "Coke or Pepsi?"

"Coca Cola, thank you." Kiku had begun flipping through the pages of his textbook and had begun quickly scanning ahead.

Carrying over a Coke and Pepsi, Alfred slid in the chair next to Kiku. Sliding the can of Coke to Kiku, he then proceeded to open his own can of Pepsi and took a gulp of his drink. Casually, he asked Kiku: "So what have you been up to since the last time we hung out?"

Kiku blinked, looking up from the textbook, he seemed mildly surprised by Alfred's question but the surprise he shown quickly disappeared. "Not much. I have been focusing a lot more effort and time into my studies. But I did join the Newspaper Club with Ludwig and Feliciano. But I think you already knew that. We interviewed you and the Hetalia Gakuen Heroes last month."

Alfred remembered. As Captain of the school's varsity football team, he had been among the football players to be interviewed. It had been fun.

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" he told Kiku cheerfully. "You were the one to interview me. You were pretty good, I think you could become a reporter if you wanted to."

"A reporter? That is not a bad career but I am planning to study to become an architect," admitted Kiku. "I really like architecture. I actually visited Venice, Italy last summer with Feliciano and Ludwig. Their culture is amazing."

"Architecture? That's definitely not for me but I think you could do it," Alfred grinned encouragingly. "I want to become a professional football player. It'd be cool to play for the 49ers, or maybe the Dallas cowboys. I dunno yet – maybe a strong team or ooh I could join a loser team and turn them into winners. Haven't figured out that part yet," shrugged Alfred, still grinning.

"I think you could do it," said Kiku quietly, surprising Alfred. "I'm not saying it to be polite," he added earnestly. "I really think so."

A silence settled between them, both boys were nervous again.

"Thanks, Kiku. That means a lot."

…

"Do you understand it now?" Kiku asked Alfred. He glanced at his watch subtly when Alfred wasn't looking. It wasn't that Kiku was impatient to leave, quite the opposite really, it was just that his family had dinner at 7:00 and his mother would most certainly get angry if he was late to dinner. It was already 5:45.

"Yeah, I think so," murmured Alfred, his eyes running over the pages. "Yep!" he suddenly set down the textbook with a loud smack that made Kiku flinch. "What do you want to do now?"

His question had surprised Kiku. "I was going to go home, actually," Kiku admitted before he could stop himself. He immediately hurried to remedy the situation when Alfred's face fell. "My curfew's 6:00 and it's already 5:45."

"Oh. Well, your house is pretty far away. Do you want a lift?" offered Alfred, already grabbing his car keys and swinging them in the air.

"Sure, thank you," nodded Kiku. He was grateful, Kiku wasn't scared of the dark and it wasn't like they lived in a very dangerous town but he didn't like taking any unnecessary risks. "You still remember where I live, right?" he was asking Alfred as they walked out of the front door.

Unlocking his car doors, Alfred replied as he sat down in the driver's seat, "Of course dude." As he started the engine and then pulled out of the driveway, Alfred turned on the radio, setting the volume low as a catchy pop song filled the car.

The car was silent as they drove for the first minutes and then Alfred spoke again. "You still play video games?" Alfred glanced at Kiku curiously before his eyes returned to the road – like any good driver.

"I do sometimes, yes," admitted Kiku. He was a very focused student but he was not _completely_ without hobbies. "Why?"  
>"Well, since you couldn't stay," explained Alfred. "Maybe we could play Heroes of Hetalia together online? Do you have that video game?"<p>

"Yes, I do, actually," answered Kiku. The raven-haired boy seemed keenly interested in the idea of meeting Alfred later on that night. "My username's Japan." At Alfred's surprised look, he added, "My father works for that video game company. I was one of the first people to get the game."

Nodding, Alfred whistled, impressed. "That's pretty cool. My username is AwesomeAmericanDude. Gilbert actually suggested it – the awesome part, at least."

They were both disappointed when Alfred's car pulled up Kiku's driveway. Kiku had texted ahead and his mother was standing at the glass door, eyeing them sternly.

"I'll be on tonight," promised Kiku. "I will see you tomorrow, Alfred."

"I'll see ya then!" called out Alfred. "Thanks for meeting me after school by the way!" He waited in the driveway for a few more moments until Kiku entered the house and then he pulled out onto the road.

The radio was still playing but Alfred had long stopped listening. He was mulling over the day's events and looking forward to when he could get to his video games. Kiku would be joining him via multiplayer and it was going to be sweet.

Pulling up to his own driveway, he parked in the empty garage. Entering the house, Alfred went into the kitchen. He didn't _think _he had any homework so he was just going to microwave a frozen dinner and spend the rest of the night playing video games.

Just as he was popping the hot pocket into the microwave, his cellphone rang. _Whyyyyyyyyy you gotta be soooooo rudeeee?_ The personal ringtone Gilbert had picked out for himself. "Yo?" Alfred picked up his phone.

"Dudeeeeeee, do you wanna hang out?" Gilbert drawled into the phone. "Elizabeta went home and I'm hella bored. Feliciano and Ludwig just went up in Ludwig's room and they locked the door and I don't even wanna _think_ about what's happening up there. Your dad's still at New York right?"

"Ask Antonio," replied Alfred off-handedly as he plopped down in his sofa and started up the video game. "I'm busy."  
>"But he's on a date with Lovino," complained Gilbert. "He told me that unless I was cute, Italian and Lovino, I shouldn't call back. But whatever, I called back like, five times anyway and I went straight to voice mail. Ptff he probably couldn't just handle my awesomeness."<p>

"Dude, I'd love to hang out with you later, but I'm busy right now!" Alfred gritted his teeth, groaning in frustration. The American wasn't short-tempered but this was important to him.

"…Dude… Are you jacking off…?"

There was awkward silence on both ends.

"What?! No!" Alfred had dropped his controller, his face reddening. "Why are you so perverted?" he laughed nervously.

"So what is it then? Are you with a girl? …Guy?" probed Gilbert.

"Dude, it's nothing like that," sighed Alfred, sinking deep into his couch. "I'm supposed to meet Kiku on Heroes of Hetalia. I don't wanna miss him or something."

"Hmph. If you're going to play, why didn't you invite me?" huffed Gilbert. "Is it because you're intimidated by my awesome video game skills?"

"No way, dude. Besides, we play together all the time. I wanna play one-on-one with Kiku this time," Alfred tried reasoning.

"Is this any way to treat your awesome best friend? Why is this a big deal to you? Are you two dating now or something? Wait 'till Elizabeta hears about this…" he trailed off threatening. "Do you like him or something?" Gilbert pressed. "Just tell me now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way…"

"Grrr…." Alfred was embarrassed and at a lost as what to do. Most of his guy friends didn't usually give a damn about his love life but Gilbert was a natural-born gossip apparently. "Fine. Yeah, I kinda like him."

"Really?" Gilbert seemed surprised despite his insistence on the topic. "You guys are so different though… but I guess you guys must have bonded over video games or something. Whatever. Good luck with your date, nerd – I'll see you tomorrow!" And then just like that Gilbert had hung up.

Alfred set his phone down and his attention returned to his video game. Since Kiku wasn't on yet, he started playing a separate mini-game while he waited. Suddenly the microwave rang and he abandoned his game to grab his frozen dinner.

Even Alfred had to admit, eating frozen dinners every night kinda sucked. But since he hated cooking, his father was always on business and there was no else to cook for him, he had to settle with this.

Already eating, he returned to his couch. Plopping back down on the couch, he paused mid-bite when he saw that "Japan" – how original, by the way – had logged on and invited him.

Grinning – Kiku had made good on his promise – Alfred picked up the controller and headset. And then, he played.

…

A few months had passed since their initial reunion and Alfred and Kiku was hanging out again more frequently. Elizabeta had started smiling at Alfred suggestively ever time she spotted the two boys together – which meant that Gilbert the Gossip had blabbed.

But other than that, life was pretty much the mundane, or as mundane as it could be with school soon coming to the end. Everyone was preparing for college and the upcoming Senior Prom.

It was absolute chaos; everyone was running around, trying to find dates. Gilbert and Elizabeta had predictably planned to go together. Antonio and Romano were going together. Feliciano and Ludwig was a couple. Even Ivan had a date – never mind that it was with his sister and the fact that the Natalya had been the one to ask Ivan, ask being a kind word.

But still, all of this was unnerving Alfred. He definitely wanted to go to prom but certainly not dateless. With his status, he knew he had a pretty good shot with any other girl and perhaps even some of the guys, but Alfred only wanted Kiku. He wasn't sure how to ask Kiku though. Nothing seemed special enough.

Prom was coming up in four weeks and things had to be planned ahead of time so he was quickly running out of time to set his plan in motion.

Currently though – and this was kinda important actually, Alfred was in the locker room. He was about to lead his team out onto the field and go against their school's archrival in the last football game of the season – the last high school football game for him. If that weren't enough pressure, Kiku would be watching the game too.

Somehow the Japanese boy had avoided attending any previous football games so now the pressure was on Alfred to make sure that he didn't lose at the only football game Kiku went to.

A sudden hand on his shoulder and voice jolted him out of his thoughts. "You ready, champ?" Gilbert was smirking at him.

Looking at Gilbert – at the rest of the football team – Ludwig, Antonio, Matthias and all the others, Alfred swallowed hard. "I'm ready."

"Then let's go crush those losers!" cheered Gilbert, getting a row of cheers from the team in return. As they filed out of the locker room, Gilbert whispered to him: "Good luck."

…

Kiku Honda was attending his first-ever football game. In the past three years at the high school, he never once felt the need to attend one. He wouldn't have attended any this year either if it hadn't been for Alfred's begging.

He had gone with a rather large group – Xiao Mei, Feliciano, Lovino and Arthur. Feliciano and Lovino both had boyfriends on the football team, while Arthur's girlfriend was one of the cheerleaders. (Yes, Arthur and Marie had finally swallowed their prides and hooked up.)

Arthur had left before the game start to check on Marie, while Feliciano and Lovino had left in search of concession food. Which left Xiao Mei and Kiku standing together quietly amongst the loud crowd.

"I can't believe you finally went with us, Kiku!" she shouted at him over the loud roar of the crowd. "What made you decide to finally come?"

"Well," he replied, his voice straining to be heard. "It's the last football game I can possibly attend as a student and Alfred refused to let up until I agreed to show up!" His voice rose in volume.

"So you shown up when Alfred asked you to but not when I've been asking you for four years?" pouted Xiao Mei. "I _see _how it is," she laughed. "Are you going to prom too this year?"

"Baby steps," he told her, smiling faintly. "No. I don't think so. It's so expensive plus I don't think it's as great as people make it out to be."

She looked crestfallen however she quickly recovered, smiling at him, "You should still give it a try. Who knows? Maybe you'll like it. If you do go though, maybe you and I could go together – as friends?"

At that moment, Arthur had returned, looking dazed and his hair ruffled. "Excuse me," he mumbled as he walked past Xiao Mei and Kiku and then sat back down in his seat. "Are Feliciano and Lovino are still gone?"

"Yes they are," answered Kiku. Truthfully Kiku was glad that Arthur had interrupted them before Kiku could answer. Kiku had had his suspicions of Xiao Mei's feelings for a while but had chosen to ignore them; hoping Xiao Mei wouldn't ever make a move. But now she had and he couldn't just ignore her.

"If we both can't find a date by next Friday, I'll go with you," he promised her. It filled him with awkward dread but Kiku didn't know what else to say and her beam just made him feel guiltier. Luckily she seemed satisfied with this.

Luckily the two Italian twins had returned and just in time too – the game was about to begin. Eager to get his mind off Xiao Mei, Kiku watched the proceedings intently.

The two football teams marched out – the Hetalia Gakuen Heroes and the Angel Beats' Guardians. He had thought that they were going to do that supposed coin toss when they surprised him by handing a football player a microphone.

The crowd slowly quieted down but Kiku still had to strain to listen as the football player began speaking. It came as a shock when he realized just whom that was.

"Hello – I'm Alfred! I'm the Quarterback for the Hetalia Gakuen Heroes! I just wanted to thank you all for coming and that I wish the best of luck to our opponents, the Angel Beats' Guardians! But I have one more thing to say – I wanted to thank my awesome friend, Kiku Honda for coming. Kiku! Where are you?"

Kiku twitched, his face reddening as suddenly the crowd became focused on finding and pointing him out. He attempted to shrink into his seat when Feliciano suddenly screamed out loudly.

"He's here! Kiku's right here!"

And like a parting sea, suddenly everyone in the entire stadium was looking at him. He waved weakly, confused and torn between wanting to hide and the desire to smack Alfred on the face for putting him on the spotlight.

"Kiku – I wanted to thank you, dude! Not just for the tutoring you gave me after school but for all the time we spent together as friends. Kiku, you're one of my closest friends and I'm hoping we might become more, and I'm sorry for putting you on the spot but you gotta know by now, I'm a pretty dramatic guy! Go to prom with me?"

As the crowd cooed and cheered, Kiku froze. He stared, trying to make out Alfred's hopeful face. Finally he regained his nerve. "Alfred, I'm so flattered but – " He swore, he could have felt the sudden lurching of everyone's hearts. It was delightfully misleading.

"I have to tell you that I have liked you too for the longest of times. But I didn't think you returned my feelings. I was happy to just be friends, if it meant I could spend time with you. And now you've just granted my dearest wish. So yes, Alfred, I will go to prom with you."

The crowd roared in cheers and Alfred broke out in the biggest grin Kiku had ever seen. Feliciano was hugging him, Arthur was patting his shoulder and Lovino was extending a begrudging congratulations.

Kiku was dazed with happiness.

…

The game had ended. The Gakuen Hetalia Heroes had won 5-2. The football team and many of their supporters had gone to Antonio's house to celebrate and everyone was having a good time.

Alfred had his arm around Kiku and was grinning from ear to ear while Kiku looked quieter, but just as content with his soft smile.

"I'm getting us some drinks," Alfred told Kiku. "Be right back, alright? You should try mingling." And with that, he disappeared into the crowd.

Kiku allowed himself to look around the room. He knew almost everyone present, because almost everyone had gone.

Antonio and Lovino (forced to by his boyfriend) were most likely playing the hosts. Marie had probably pulled Arthur in a closet by now. Across the room Ludwig and Feliciano were talking to Roderich, Gilbert and Elizabeta. And… Xiao Mei was suddenly approaching him, looking very unhappy.

"Can I talk to you, Kiku?" she tugged on his sleeve, her lips pursed and her brown eyes narrowed.

Kiku had almost forgotten about her and his heart lurched in dread, however he wasn't too surprised by this turn of events. "Alright." he agreed slowly, and followed her outside into the backyard.

"I – I don't know what to say," she said, throwing her hands out. "I really thought we were going to go to prom together, Kiku." Her voice was quiet, her emotions had gotten the best of her and she seemed confused as to how go on from there.

As gently as he could, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Xiao Mei. But I'm going with Alfred, because I really like him. I like you too but only as a friend. Even if we had went together, nothing could have came of it because we would have went as only friends. I'm sorry but that's just how it is."

"Things are going to be awkward between us now, isn't it?" she asked him sadly. She was trying to be strong, but she was clearly failing as she avoided his gaze.

"I don't think that can be helped," Kiku replied apologetically. "But," he reached out to hold her hands. "I think we can at least try."

Xiao Mei smiled, her brown eyes wet, meeting his eyes for a moment before she pulled her gaze again. "I'm… glad that you're happy. Have fun at the party, okay? I'm going to go now."

Her hands slipping from his, Kiku watched in silence as she hurried away. Sighing to himself, he returned to where Alfred had left him, determined to not spoil Alfred's happiness or his own with this drama.

When he had returned, he saw that Alfred was looking lost, as he stood alone, looking around for his currently missing boyfriend. Kiku couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Alfred. Sorry, but I ran into a friend." He walked over, squeezing Alfred's hand as he took a drink from him.

"That's alright," Alfred grinned cheerily. "Let's go mingle, m'kay?" His arm wrapping around Kiku's back, Alfred led him out to the backyard.

…

"Smile!" The flash went off.

Usually the prom pictures happened before arriving at the dance, but Marie had insisted on taking as many pictures as possible.

"Merci!" Marie beamed; pulling Arthur by the hand as she went to retrieve her camera from the stranger she had convinced to take their group picture.

While the other couples had quickly descended upon the camera, Alfred had taken the opportunity of the distraction, knowing that there was little chance they would be alone during the evening.

"Seriously?! My eyes were closed!" complained Gilbert, his voice fading away as the blonde and raven-haired boys ducked around a corner.

"What is it, Alfred?" Kiku whispered, following Alfred obediently, albeit questioningly. He was patient even as Alfred didn't immediately answer him.

When they were far enough from the main ballroom, Alfred turned around to face him. "Kiku, I wanted to talk to you about our relationship. I know we could have talked about this later but I felt that we needed to talk right now."

A pause.

"We're both going to different colleges, Kiku. I got accepted to Cali. State and you're not going to give up Harvard."

Kiku cut in, "Alfred. What are you saying? Are you giving me an ultimatum?" He looked uncertain and anxious, and Alfred couldn't blame him. "Because – Alfred, what you're saying is true. I love you, but I won't compromise my education for you – neither should you compromise your own education."

Smiling gently, he shook his head. "No, Kiku. That's not what I'm saying. I'm happy you got accepted into Harvard and I'm glad you're going. I don't want to break off our relationship, but I know that we can't see each other face-to-face as much anymore. I guess what I'm saying is, I want to try a long-distance relationship with you. I know, they don't usually work out, but I think we could do it. I love you, Kiku."

He was quiet for a long moment before finally speaking. "Alfred, I think I love you too. We haven't been dating for a long time, but we've been friends for our whole lives. I love you more than anyone else. I'm willing to give the long-distance relationship a try."

Laughing quietly, Alfred leaned in, wrapping his arms around Kiku's shoulders. "Kiku. I'm so happy. I love you so much." Overcome with emotions, he pressed his lips against Kiku's as he closed his eyes.

The moment was just perfect – the feel of Kiku's warm lips, the absolute clarity of the moment, the soft music in the background, both their heartbeats beating together in harmony.

The moment was just perfect.

* * *

><p>I hope you enjoyed this, it was my second fanfic.<br>I'd be very happy if you'd leave a review, criticism would be lovely, just no flames obviously.  
>Hopefully I'd be uploading another fanfic within a few days or weeks.<p> 


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